


June's Ladder

by Zinc (zincviking)



Category: Dragon Age Inquisition - Fandom
Genre: Cute, F/M, Fluff, Some innuendos but I think it's fine for general
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-24
Updated: 2016-03-24
Packaged: 2018-05-28 20:11:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6343519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zincviking/pseuds/Zinc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The design was narrow and simple, with crisscrossing x’s wrapped around themselves between two parallel lines of string. But it was nice, and reminded him of the knot work he could do. He smiled but she was grinning. “It's called June’s Ladder,” she said.</p>
            </blockquote>





	June's Ladder

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of Jacob's Ladder lol I recently remembered how to do it and I applied it to my Lavellan and Bull ship.

Iron Bull couldn't stop watching her. Her fingers were as nimble and delicate as a lute player’s, though he knew the damage she could cause with them. She had arrived with the other Dalish hunters that committed themselves to the Inquisition cause. She was from clan Lavellan and arrived with a group of fearsome but mild-tempered warriors and their clan’s second. Maxwell had accepted the help immediately, allowing them to move a few aravel’s into the yard by the stables. They bunked mostly in the yard but also used some of the rooms within the castle walls.

Her tattoos were as delicate and finesse as her fingers and as red as blood. They wound around her face, over her eyes, into her hair, and twisted around her neck like she was a stone and they were creeping vines. Her feet, bare, were beneath her, supporting her crouching figure as she fingers worked with the string that wound around them. It was as red as her tattoos. 

So far Iron Bull couldn't guess what she was even doing. The string wasn't suitable for her bow, and indeed it looked like she was just playing with it. Like a deadly cat. Her eyes flickered around the camp as the dalish scouts that Maxwell brought along readied their bows for a trip deeper into the emerald graves. She didn't move, but her fingers continued to work. 

“Are you going with?” He asked her as he finally settled next to the cold fire pit, stretching out his bad leg. His eye followed her fingers, twisting and ducking under the string, snagging and pulling it into place over other fingers. 

“No. They have techniques, shock troops of a special kind. They will help clear the mine for your Inquisitor. Aren't you?” 

“Nah. The Boss picked Cassandra. Something about a Templar in the area she wanted to kill.” The elf shrugged, her fingers never ceasing. She shrugged like it made sense. Someone wanted to kill someone else so you had to wait, like it was a situation she was used to. Bull hummed, watching her. “What's your name?” He finally asked. 

Her lips twitched into a smile. Well as much a smile as he's seen a dalish elf give outside of his own Dalish. “Rhawen,” she said lightly, tossing her hair back. It wasn't red like the Boss’, not like blood soaked in and never left, it was more brown than that. But in the shadows of the trees, with the small rays of light cascading down like a blessed secret, in those rays it shown red like rubies. Or strawberries. “It means “wildling”.” 

Bull laughed, eye still watching her fingers. It grew quiet and he almost didn't notice the elves slip into the shadows as the Inquisitor moved out with the Inner Circle he chose. So engrossed was he in her dancing fingers he didn't notice Varric settle down next to him, cloth ready to polish Bianca. Across from the elf, Rhawen, Solas settled. With a wave of his hand, the fire sprung to life. Blackwall and Sera joined them, the warden tossing some logs into the flames to keep it going naturally. A scout hummed on a harmonica and it was peaceful. 

“Would you like to learn,The Iron Bull?” she suddenly asked, a twinkle of amusement shining in her eyes as she considered him. He was startled but hid it as he grinned. He figured she picked up his name from the others in the Inquisition. Being one of the few Qunari in the organization garnered attention after all. 

“I'm not even sure what you're doing.” He confessed, heading tilting, mindful of his horns. 

“Not for lack of trying,” She teased, but her smile was kind and with a deft movement she held up her hands to show an intricate weave of string in a strange design. It looked like a spider had twisted its web around her fingers. “It's a game of sorts. It's called _haselan_.” 

“You expect me to do that?” Bull asked, resting his hand on his knee. He lifted the hand that lacked some fingers, wiggling. Her eyes twinkled. 

“Maybe not something so complicated, da’len.” She said sweetly as she lay the web on the ground. She pinched two parts of it and gently pulled. Within seconds the entire web unraveled and she was left with a loop of string. “Your hands,” she gestured and he complied, aware of Solas’, Varric’s, and Sera’s attention on him. Blackwall as well, but his judgement seemed lesser. 

With light touches she put the string over his thumbs and pinkies, leaving a line of red string across each palm. “Take your index fingers, and move them under the line here,” she pointed to his palm. He did so, careful, watching where her small hands cupped the back of his. She had skin like the sand of the Approach, the color of bronze and her callouses coarse. It felt amazing. 

Looking at the vivid red string, he saw that he had two x’s crisscrossing between his fingers. She was smiling as her fingers pressed lightly on his knuckles. “You drop this string.” He did so, freeing his thumbs, leaving a framed x between his fingers. “Then, you move your thumbs back to take the back and bring it forward.” He let her small, nimble fingers guide his and he managed to get the furthest back line around his thumbs and bring it back to the front, closest to himself. 

Honestly he felt a bit tangled but she just smiled encouragingly. “Then you go over the first string here,” she pointed, “then under the second and bring your thumbs back to the front.” He obeyed, and she pressed lightly on the knuckles of his pinkie fingers. “Drop these now.” 

Bull was aware of Solas watching, and he glanced up but the elf was unreadable as he watched. Sera was curious at least and Varric was doing a good job of pretending to polish Bianca. He dropped the string around his pinkies, eager to do so since the string cut into his skin. His eye found the string woven around his fingers again. 

“Good. Now, with your pinkies, go over the last one and then under the second to last one,” she pointed them out and he noticed her nails were filed rather sharply and he grinned. He wondered what those would feel like on his back. He moved his pinkies accordingly. “Drop your thumbs again,” he did so, wondering where this was going to go, “and now you have cat whiskers!” She grinned, moving his hands so the string was over his upper lip. 

Sera cackled, falling backwards off the log she and Blackwall were seated on. Even Solas laughed, as if he had been expecting it. Bull narrowed his eye on her and she only smiled. “That all, elf?” he growled but much of the threat was lost in the amusement in his eye, the slight twitch of a smile at the corner of his mouth. 

“No,” she conceded with a chuckle, “But in order for you to get it right you have to do that part,” she said wisely as she brought his hands back down, “now, bring your thumb over the first two whiskers and under the third one.” He did so. The string was small, for him, but he managed, and she smiled a bit. 

“I gotta admit, not feeling as silly as I thought I would,” he grumbled gruffly and she grinned. 

“Of course not, this practices finesse for archers and weavers alike. Now pay attention, Qunari,” she said sternly and he practically jumped to attention, watching. “This is the hardest part for beginners. Take the string wrapped around your index and move it over your thumb...good,” she murmured as he did so, “now, take the string that was already on your thumb and move it over and off your thumb.” He frowned but she pointed out the string he was supposed to move and he did so. 

Solas hummed something but he nor Rhawen paid any attention as she pointed out the triangles that suddenly appeared. “You're going to put your index fingers through those and drop your pinkies, and then hold your hands up with your thumbs pointing to the ground, okay?” He nodded and she helped move his large fingers into the narrow triangles--he definitely wasn't thinking about what else she could guide into small holes--and he dropped his fingers and raised his hands, thumbs pointing down. 

The design was narrow and simple, with crisscrossing x’s wrapped around themselves between two parallel lines of string. But it was nice, and reminded him of the knot work he could do. He smiled but she was grinning. “It's called June’s Ladder,” she said. “To untangle it, lay it on the ground and grab those two parts and just pull.” He did so and was left with a loop of red string. 

“Well done,” Solas seemed amused but not derisive so Bull took the praise for what it was worth. 

“Perhaps you can teach me more rope tricks,” he teased as her nimble fingers plucked the string from her fingers. He felt Solas’s glare but Sera’s giggles drowned it out. Rhawen only smirked, wrapping her fingers with the string, fingers darting under and over with incredible speed. Seconds later she had June’s Ladder and she shrugged. 

“I'm curious what you could come up with yourself,” she smirked, and Bull laughed loud and clear.


End file.
